Protecting Privacy of Pregnant and LGBTQ+ Research Participants.

This Viewpoint summarizes existing federal regulations aimed at protecting research data, describes the challenges of enforcing these regulations, and discusses how evolving privacy technologies could be used to reduce health disparities and advance health equity among pregnant and LGBTQ+ research participants.

Applicability and usefulness of the Declaration of Helsinki for forensic research with human cadavers and remains.

Bodies of deceased persons and human remains and their specimens (i.e., organs, bones, tissues, or biological samples) are essential in forensic research but ad hoc worldwide-recognized ethical standards for their use are still lacking. Such standards are needed both to avoid possible unethical practices and to sustain research in the forensic field. Pending consensus within the forensic science community regarding this topic, with this article we aim to stimulate a debate as to the applicability and usefulness of the Declaration of Helsinki in the field of forensic research involving human cadavers and remains. Considering the fundamental differences compared to clinical research involving human beings and the different moral obligations involved, we focus on the risks, burdens, and benefits of research, ethics committee approval, and informed consent requirements. The Declaration of Helsinki framework allows forensic researchers to focus on substantial ethical principles promoting the consistency, integrity, and quality of research. Consensus regarding ethical standards and the adoption of national and supranational laws that clearly regulate the use of human cadavers and remains, including those from autopsies, continues to be of primary importance for the forensic science community.

Normative decentralization of the food and nutrition security agenda: descriptive study of legislation published in Brazilian capitals / Descentralização normativa da agenda de segurança alimentar e nutricional: estudo descritivo das legislações publicadas nas capitais brasileiras

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to identify and characterize the legislation published in Brazilian capitals regarding food and nutritional security. Methods This is a descriptive, exploratory, and documentary research, with a survey on public and free access websites to legislation published until July 2021 in the 26 Brazilian state capitals. Document characterization information was extracted, systematized, and systematically analyzed. Results Of the 1,390 legislations found, 307 were included in the analysis, 31% from the South region of Brazil and 23% from the Southeast region. The legislation mainly referred to the Structuring of the Brazilian System of Food and Nutritional Security (76.5%) and the Promotion of Universal Access to Adequate Food (17.3%). The categories less present were Evaluation and Monitoring of the Brazilian System of Food and Nutritional Security and Food and Nutritional Security (1.9%), Food and Nutrition Actions Aimed at Quilombolas and Traditional Communities (1.3%) and Universal Access to Water (0.7%), with 17 capitals (65.4%) having no localized legislation for these three themes. Conclusion The results point to the need for qualification of transparency mechanisms in public management and good governance, and demonstrate an incipient process of implementing the government food and nutrition security agenda in Brazilian capitals, with low incidence on different government sectors and other public policies

RESUMO Objetivo O estudo teve o objetivo de identificar e caracterizar as legislações relacionadas à segurança alimentar e nutricional publicadas nas capitais brasileiras. Métodos Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, exploratória e documental, com levantamento em sites públicos e de acesso livre de legislações publicadas até julho de 2021 nas 26 capitais dos estados brasileiros. Informações de caracterização dos documentos foram extraídas, sistematizadas e analisadas de forma sistemática. Resultados Das 1.390 legislações localizadas, 307 foram incluídas na análise, sendo 31% da região Sul e 23% da região Sudeste. As legislações referiam-se principalmente à Estruturação do Sistema Naiconal de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (76,5%) e à Promoção do Acesso Universal à Alimentação Adequada (17,3%). As categorias menos presentes nas legislações foram Avaliação e Monitoramento do Sistema Nacional de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional e de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (1,9%), Ações de Alimentação e Nutrição Voltadas para Quilombolas e Comunidades Tradicionais (1,3%) e Acesso Universal à Água (0,7%), sendo que 17 capitais (65,4%) não tiveram legislações localizadas para o conjunto destes três temas. Conclusão Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de qualificação dos mecanismos de transparência na gestão pública e de boa governança, e demonstram um processo incipiente de implementação da agenda governamental de segurança alimentar e nutricional nas capitais brasileiras, com baixa incidência sobre os diferentes setores de governo e demais políticas públicas.

An international policy on returning genomic research results.

The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health has approved a policy for the return of clinically actionable genomic research results, the first such policy approved by an international body. The policy acknowledges the potential medical benefits to millions of individuals who are participating in genomics research. It ties the pace of implementation to each country's clinical standards, including for the return of secondary findings, and urges funders to set aside resources to support responsible return.

Scientific research and product development in the United States to address injuries from a radiation public health emergency.

The USA has experienced one large-scale nuclear incident in its history. Lessons learned during the Three-Mile Island nuclear accident provided government planners with insight into property damage resulting from a low-level release of radiation, and an awareness concerning how to prepare for future occurrences. However, if there is an incident resulting from detonation of an improvised nuclear device or state-sponsored device/weapon, resulting casualties and the need for medical treatment could overwhelm the nation's public health system. After the Cold War ended, government investments in radiation preparedness declined; however, the attacks on 9/11 led to re-establishment of research programs to plan for the possibility of a nuclear incident. Funding began in earnest in 2004, to address unmet research needs for radiation biomarkers, devices and products to triage and treat potentially large numbers of injured civilians. There are many biodosimetry approaches and medical countermeasures (MCMs) under study and in advanced development, including those to address radiation-induced injuries to organ systems including bone marrow, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, lungs, skin, vasculature and kidneys. Biomarkers of interest in determining level of radiation exposure and susceptibility of injury include cytogenetic changes, 'omics' technologies and other approaches. Four drugs have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of acute radiation syndrome (ARS), with other licensures being sought; however, there are still no cleared devices to identify radiation-exposed individuals in need of treatment. Although many breakthroughs have been made in the efforts to expand availability of medical products, there is still work to be done.

Ethical, legal and social implications of human genome studies in radiation research: a workshop report for studies on atomic bomb survivors at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation.

The Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) is the primary organization in Japan dedicated to studying the health consequences of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings in World War II. In December 2020, RERF held a virtual international workshop on the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genome studies. In this workshop, the ELSI considerations of future human genome studies on radiation research including atomic bomb survivors and their families were discussed. Since genome sequencing (GS) is now practical and affordable, RERF now plans GS of parents/child trios to examine genetic effects of atomic bomb radiation. As such studies may engender some novel risks and benefits, ethics review and engagement with families (including consent) need to be considered. These include protection of individual privacy, use of samples from deceased prior participants, return of results to the participants, public sharing of genome data and advance science and social welfare. Specifically with regard to social welfare, the results of such studies may have implications for public and government decision-making regarding social benefits of victims and other important questions. Based on these broad-ranging discussions we have developed the following concepts to guide this work: "trust," "compromise" and "relationship building," inclusive of the concerned stakeholders, scientific aims and Japanese society at large. We conclude that in order to realize, establish and maintain these concepts, it is essential to put procedures into place to ensure the successful, consensus-based implementation of the RERF studies.

International transfers of personal data for health research following Schrems II: a problem in need of a solution.

On 16 July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued their decision in the Schrems II case concerning Facebook's transfers of personal data from the EU to the US. The decision may have significant effects on the legitimate transfer of personal data for health research purposes from the EU. This article aims: (i) to outline the consequences of the Schrems II decision for the sharing of personal data for health research between the EU and third countries, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; and, (ii) to consider certain options available to address the consequences of the decision and to facilitate international data exchange for health research moving forward.

Developing a Database of Structural Racism-Related State Laws for Health Equity Research and Practice in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: Although US state laws shape population health and health equity, few studies have examined how state laws affect the health of marginalized racial/ethnic groups (eg, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx populations) and racial/ethnic health inequities. A team of public health researchers and legal scholars with expertise in racial equity used systematic policy surveillance methods to develop a comprehensive database of state laws that are explicitly or implicitly related to structural racism, with the goal of evaluating their effect on health outcomes among marginalized racial/ethnic groups. METHODS: Legal scholars used primary and secondary sources to identify state laws related to structural racism pertaining to 10 legal domains and developed a coding scheme that assigned a numeric code representing a mutually exclusive category for each salient feature of each law using a subset of randomly selected states. Legal scholars systematically applied this coding scheme to laws in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia from 2010 through 2013. RESULTS: We identified 843 state laws linked to structural racism. Most states had in place laws that disproportionately discriminate against marginalized racial/ethnic groups and had not enacted laws that prevent the unjust treatment of individuals from marginalized racial/ethnic populations from 2010 to 2013. CONCLUSIONS: By providing comprehensive, detailed data on structural racism-related state laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia over time, our database will provide public health researchers, social scientists, policy makers, and advocates with rigorous evidence to assess states' racial equity climates and evaluate and address their effect on racial/ethnic health inequities in the United States.